Jana Riess

This was a delightful read. Jana Reiss sought to improve her spirituality by trying to focus on a different religious practice or principle every month for a year—including things like prayer, hospitality, generosity, keeping the Sabbath, etc.

Reiss discusses these things in a very humorous and relatable way. As the title of the book indicates, she was not perfect with any of her practices. To the contrary, the demands of life often required her to stop. And sometimes, both the details of the practice and the seeming lack of progress proved to be a frustration for her. But in the end, Reiss notes that her efforts did make her a better, more spiritual person. While, like the rest of us, she’s still far short of perfection, these practices and efforts enlarged her capacity to forgive, carved out sacred space, gave new perspectives and insights, and helped her draw closer to God.

People of any faith can find much to like and appreciate about this book. Reiss’ insights, practicality, and sense of humor make this a very easy read. And if, like me, you find yourself falling far short of perfection, you’ll particularly appreciate Reiss’ emphasis on simply becoming better rather than achieving perfection.… (more)

This is a surprisingly fun and insightful look at the spiritual themes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and what can be learned from them. It's a fast read, but there's a lot of good material here.

The book draws exmaples primarily from Buddhism and Christianity, but reflects the show's own lack of affiliation with a particular path. Still, what I considered to be the most pertinent passage draws a Jewish example: "Like the biblical heroine Esther, Buffy is a young woman who feels the burden of preserving her people. And just as God is never mentioned in the book of Esther, God is merely implicit in the Buffyverse, present every time the characters put their lives on the line to save others."… (more)

This is a really interesting book to read. The data here is all based on a large survey referenced at this link ( my link text) and it is a clear, crisp analysis. I like how the author combines the data with the insights from interviews with Millennials. The audiobook version is engaging and well organized, with the understanding things change so quickly some things true in 2016 are likely no longer true in 2021.

I would recommend it to both members of the church and those who want to know more about how religion and the people inside it are changing. It was a fairly short listen and gave me a lot to think about how I interact with what I have been taught. I'm in a different spot as a non-official Millennial with heavy Millennial influences, so I'm excited to see how things change by the time they do the next survey.… (more)